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Hoyer Statement Calling for Pay Parity for Federal Civilian Employees

August 31, 2019

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today calling for a 3.1 percent pay adjustment for federal civilian employees to ensure pay parity with the military:

"The Trump Administration's announcement of its intent to provide a smaller pay adjustment to the federal civilian workforce in 2020 than what House Democrats have proposed is just one more example of how little regard it has for federal civilian employees who work for the American people every day. It's even more stunning given that 800,000 of these employees went without pay during the longest government shutdown in history at the beginning of this year.

"House Democrats are united in our determination to provide a 3.1 percent pay adjustment to federal civilian employees in 2020, the same figure that the Administration has proposed for members of the armed services not serving in harm's way. The FY 2020 Financial Services Appropriations bill that the House passed in June would provide that adjustment. This adheres to the principle of pay parity, which reflects the fundamental reality that the federal civilian workforce performs critical services just as our military does, and should be compensated accordingly.

"The Administration's proposed change to locality pay, if implemented, will be especially detrimental to hard working federal employees in high-cost regions like the DC-metro area, including Maryland's 5th Congressional District.

"I intend to fight the Administration's counterproductive proposal as Congress focuses on funding the federal government for FY 2020."